U.S. troops have sealed off an Iraqi town after militants forced its mayor and entire police force to resign, and residents said the Americans were preventing aid convoys from entering and people from leaving.
"The town of Siniya has been besieged since Thursday by U.S. forces, who are preventing anyone from entering or going out," said Hussein Mahjoub, the town's mayor until he and his fellow councillors resigned last week in fear of their lives.
The U.S. military said in a statement on Monday in response to questions from Reuters that checkpoints had been set up to "control movement and safeguard the citizens of the town" and that essential foodstuffs were being allowed through.
Police in the neighbouring oil refining city of Baiji, 15 km (10 miles) east, said the entire council and police force quit on Wednesday after receiving leaflets threatening them with death unless they resigned.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L04416398.htm
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